Magnesium Casting Facts

Magnesium Casting Facts

Magnesium Casting Facts

Casting is the means by which magnesium alloys make it onto automobiles, aviation and aerospace structures. It involves melting the metals at extremely high temperatures and pouring the molten liquid into a mold to cool. After the mold is taken away, a part is left that is used in creating a new car, plane, or satellite. However, the process for casting magnesium is a bit different form that of other metals, however.

Magnesium casting uses very high heat

Magnesium melts at 670 degrees Celsius or 1218 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a melting point that is much lower than steel, but higher than aluminum. The magnesium takes a large amount of heat to melt in preparation for casting, but not nearly as much as the steel that manufacturers tend to favor for structural projects such as bridges and buildings. The low melting point makes magnesium much faster and energy efficient to cast without sacrificing the metal's strength. The lower temperature also allows for faster cooling. Magnesium's melting is slightly higher than its common alloy partner aluminum, making them a very compatible match for casting projects.

Casting doesn't remove impurities

The metal must be pure before it is cast in order to prevent defects in the final product. Magnesium's unstable history as a transportation metal is due to the misunderstanding of just how damaging impurities can be to a cast. The magnesium was not refined very well, and became prone to cracking, breaking, and weakness the products. Magnesium alloys were heavily used in the automotive industry in the 1950's, but usage dropped drastically 20 years later after the metal failed to perform as expected. The problem was impurities. Today, the metal is refined before it is cast to remove impurities from the final product.

Thixomolding magnesium casting method yields little waste.

The casting method of magnesium manufacturing is the most commonly used, but it produces the most waste. Approximately half of the metal is wasted during the cast. It is considered inferior unless recycled. Thixomolding, a type of magnesium casting, reduces the amount of waste to 90% of the cast material. The result is lower production and raw material costs.

Magnesium casting is a process that is compared to steel in its casting process. However, the two metals are very different and require different casting methods. As magnesium becomes more prevalent in products made today, expect to see faster turnarounds in product manufacturing and parts availability, but the same protection afforded by steel.

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